Biology

They're gonna need a bigger Twitter. An organization studying great white sharks is enjoying some welcome attention after one of the creatures they've been monitoring, Mary Lee, started gaining a loyal social media following. @MaryLeeShark is the fake Twitter handle for a very real, nearly 3,500-pound great white whose movements can be tracked online and in real time. She's drawn over 44,000 followers with her playful updates and witty replies as the real life shark cruises up and down the East Coast. "Oh heyyyyy.... you're right by my house, come by for a nightcap?" invited one recent Twitter commenter as she popped up off the coast of Long Island, New...

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The emerald tree canopy on this town's scenic high cliffs is likened to a luxurious community for bald eagles. There are gorgeous views of the Rappahannock River, nice fishing and tasty seafood. Best of all, it's one of the top places in the Chesapeake...

The monarch butterfly — perhaps the most recognizable of its kind — is fast disappearing, with population declines of up to 90 percent documented over the last decade.
The most likely culprit?
It's not disturbances in the monarch's overwintering sites...

In 2012, marine biologist Edie Widder did something others had attempted for many years, but failed: She recorded an elusive giant squid cavorting in its native deep-sea habitat.
And she and her crew accomplished it by using a method no one had ever...

As coastal communities in Hampton Roads struggle to adapt to a rapidly changing climate, at least one local species seems to be adjusting rather well — and just as rapidly.
The yellow-crowned night heron has bumped up its breeding season by more than...

If you like frogs and other amphibians, FrogWatch USA and two local chapters are looking for you to assist in identifying local species.
"It is a nationwide frog and toad monitoring survey that trains members of the community to identify local...

The blue crab is an iconic species in the Chesapeake Bay, but it isn't exclusive — its range runs from the Caribbean and parts of South America on north to Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
But in the past few years, blue crab have been spotted even farther...

The blue crab is an iconic species in the Chesapeake Bay, but it isn't exclusive — its range runs from the Caribbean and parts of South America on north to Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
But in the past few years, blue crab have been spotted even farther...

The USS Theodore Roosevelt deployed from Naval Station Norfolk two days late after tiny sea creatures clogged the aircraft carrier's intakes, which pump sea water into the ship cooling its engine and reactors.
While the Virginia Institute of...

For one week last August, Hampton Roads followed the progress of a sickly young sei whale as she swam erratically in the rivers and creeks of the Chesapeake Bay before she finally died.
A necropsy found the whale had ingested a sharp, rigid shard from...

When seafood lovers think Virginia, they think oysters and blue crabs -- two iconic species of the Chesapeake Bay.
But when it comes to seafood revenue, neither the oyster nor the blue crab is the cash cow that the little sea scallop represents for the...

When seafood lovers think Virginia, they think oysters and blue crabs — two iconic species of the Chesapeake Bay.
But when it comes to seafood revenue, neither the oyster nor the blue crab is the cash cow that the little sea scallop represents for the...

POQUOSON — Poquoson Elementary School kids are learning about the life cycle of monarch butterflies, how to identify their sex and the name of their bodily fluids all before releasing them into the wild at their "outdoor classroom."
"Did...

The first time Drew Weisenberger used his PhytoPET scanner to watch radioactive carbon move through a plant, he chose a stalk of barley.
The blade was about six inches long, and the stem another six. He exposed the blade tip to carbon dioxide gas with...

The forecast for bigger dead zones in the Chesapeake Bay this summer finally bore out last month — at least for the upper bay.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported the eighth largest dead zone on record for early August, a...

Last year, Virginia witnessed the worst mass dolphin die-off in its history as more than 300 bottlenose dolphins began stranding — about five times the annual average.
Marine biologists were flummoxed. They suspected a deadly morbillivirus, and stranding...

While the technicians at the state's forensics labs don't have the ability to figure out what someone looks like based on a DNA sample or learn the results of crime scene evidence instantly and easily like some popular TV shows depict, experts in fields...

HAMPTON — Ten travel-weary high school students came to shore around noon Saturday at Fort Monroe nearly 80 miles from where they first started their paddle down the James River in Richmond.
After eight days on the water, the group completed the third...

Holy mackerel — fish are smart! And sensitive!
That’s the conclusion an Australian biologist draws after reviewing voluminous scientific literature.
Culum Brown of Macquarie University in Sydney claims years of evidence show fish can multi-task, have...

Michael Katz has the opportunity to pursue a boyhood dream, but that doesn't mean his decision was cut-and-dried.
William and Mary's slugging junior first baseman and the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year signed with the New York Mets on...

NEWPORT NEWS — The rescue went without a hitch. William and Mary wildlife biologist Libby Mojica slipped out onto a catwalk off the James River Bridge and scooped up two peregrine falcon chicks from their nesting box 150 feet above the water.
The...